REVIEWS
Thomson's Four Saints In Three Acts (2011):
“Director and production designer Brian Staufenbiel created a witty, bright-colored theatrical panorama and interjected Stein's verbal nonsense with an arbitrary but welcome hint of narrative. Staufenbiel had the fine idea of taking a circus view of the whole thing. The Commère and Compère, the clerical authorities who serve as ringleaders for the proceedings, gave readings out of an enormous book, and the costumes and makeup were a nice blend of Christmas pantomime and Ringling Brothers.”SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“Director Brian Staufenbiel put his own narrative atop Gertrude Stein's charming libretto. Staufenbiel certainly does not lack ambition or ideas, and in the end the structure probably helped keep some audience members awake and engaged. The scene changes were seamless, all the props were either on wires or wheels. The colors used for the costumes gave the production cohesion, lots of white, with pops of red, yellow.”
THE OPERA TATTLER
“Ensemble Parallèle, a San Francisco-based producer of avant-garde operas, captures much of the madness of the heavily abstract work – which, despite what the title says, features some 20 saints and spans four acts – with a playful, exquisitely sung and elegantly designed production.”
THE BAY CITIZEN
“Staufenbiel has gone for much darker images, including sickness, surgery, trial, and ultimately electrocution. It is as if he decided to complement Thomson’s rejection of dissonance by imposing a “cognitive dissonance” in the action on stage. What had been celebratory to a point of ecstasy in the music has yielded to the most horrific stuff of Freudian dreams. Once again Ensemble Parallèle has demonstrated its capacity for original thinking dignified with the conscientious execution it deserves.”
EXAMINER.COM
“Director, Brian Staufenbiel did a wonderful job staging the opera, using the words and music as the key to the action, so that sometimes it all made excellent (and even surprising and new) sense, and other times it created a wonderful disjunction between sense and scene (as in the trial, when the arbitrary-seeming phrases made a satirical point about the workings of earthly justice versus the higher morality of St Ignatius’s actions).”
PATRICK VAZ AT REVERBERATE HILLS
“Faced with the creators’ contemplation of the lives of Spanish saints, director Brian Staufenbiel fashioned a tragicomic scenario in which these gentle souls, clothed in primary hues, suffer the perils of the Inquisition. The vision of Saint Ignatius in an electric chair may be jarring but the mood remained airy and an improvisatory feeling – the imagination can take you anywhere – prevailed.”
FINANCIAL TIMES
Philip Glass' Orphée (2011):
“Triumphant . . . Ravishing and delicate, haunting and playful, somber and romantic, the production fused story, music and stagecraft into an engrossing evening of music theater.”
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“Spellbinding! Haunting, hypnotic and dreamlike. A spellbinding performance true to the intent of Glass and enhanced by superb acting and visual effects.”
BAY FRANCISCO BAY TIMES
“Much like love, Ensemble Parallèle's production of the Philip Glass opera Orphée was a many-splendored thing.Director Brian Staufenbiel's production design expanded upon the traditional elements of opera in an astonishingly effective fashion.”
SF WEEKLY
“I was amazed at the high level of quality and imagination permeating every aspect of this superb production. Director and production designer Brian Staufenbiel did a hell of a job.”
A BEAST IN A JUNGLE
“Staufenbiel had to develop his own repertoire of techniques to confound the senses. This involved a rich repertoire of media that ranged from multi-screen video projection to a circus aerialist dancing high above the rest of the performers, supported by only two long swathes of cloth. One could not have hoped for a better approach to Glass.”
SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
Berg's Wozzeck (2010):
Operatic Heaven From Hell
“Brian Staufenbiel paid equal attention to Wozzeck’s musical and theatrical elements.—A 90-minute multimedia wow of a production was whole and complete unto itself.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2010
“Staufenbiel drew brilliant acting out of the three male principals, all familiar to Bay Area audiences: the resonant bass-baritone Bojan Knezevic in the near catatonic title role; tenor John Duykers as the Captain; and Bass Philip Skinner as the Doctor. When was the last time you saw an opera where you raved about the acting?”
'WOZZECK'—THE PLIGHT OF THE PERENNIAL OUTSIDER 2010
“… splendid and gripping production”
THE IRON TONGUE OF MIDNIGHT 2010
Tenor Soloist (2010):
Though tenor Brian Staufenbiel had the smallest singing role, he rendered it unforgettable as the unfortunate roasted swan in “En Taberna” “In the tavern.” Costumed in black, with a lifelike bird's head, and large, white-feathered wings folded on his back, he swooped and flapped while lamenting his sad fate in rich, vibrant tones. The scene turned melodramatic as Brancoveanu, whose character's macho boasting had been interrupted by the impetuous swan, raised an imaginary shotgun and fired in perfect synch with the orchestra's percussion section. The theatrical interlude provided a high-spirited humorous touch.
SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL 2010
Tenor soloist, Brian Staufenbiel, sang well the aria Bewundert, a Menschen Mr. Staufenbiel’s graceful phrasing underscored Bach’s contrapuntal mastery.
CLASSICAL SONOMA 2010
Brian Staufenbiel sang the Evangelist’s recitatives . . . He was impressive as the Evangelist, telling the story vividly.
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2010
Allen Shearer's Dawn Makers (2009):
Brian Staufenbiel Director: “The evening's affair recalled the updated stagings of Peter Sellars. Ironically, the updates of Shearer's and Stevens' work came prepackaged. Staufenbiel pulled off a bevy of sight gags for the horses cum Valley Girls, did not bother to figure out what would make a pool boy look particularly Pasadena-ish, and even managed to figure out some way to stage the immobile, eternally aging Victor.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2009
Brian Staufenbiel’s production proved how much can be accomplished by ingenuity on a modest budget.
OPERA 2009
PREVIOUS REVIEWS
“… the low voices of the group were answered by Tenor Brian Staufenbiel, whose rich tone and admirable declamation added much to the performance.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2009
“This performance had four highly distinctive people up front . . . Tenor Brian Staufenbiel, strong and elegant . . .”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2009
“The third movement features a beautiful unaccompanied passage for tenor on wordless syllables, and in Staufenbiel’s earnestness a listener really could hear the call of the wild.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2009
Brian Staufenbiel Director: “The evening's affair recalled the updated stagings of Peter Sellars. Ironically, the updates of Shearer's and Stevens' work came prepackaged. Staufenbiel pulled off a bevy of sight gags for the horses cum Valley Girls, did not bother to figure out what would make a pool boy look particularly Pasadena-ish, and even managed to figure out some way to stage the immobile, eternally aging Victor.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2009
Supported by the impressive tenor Brian Staufenbiel, this was a satisfying performance musically. It was left . . . to a gloriously bedecked Staufenbiel to screech out the Roasted Swan's anguish.
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS 2008
(Tenor, Brian Staufenbiel) “Outstanding” (Handel’s Jephtha)
LA PRESSE (Montréal) 2007
“The performances were polished, notably the ones by the Requiem's solo quartet, . . . and tenor Brian Staufenbiel. . . ”
SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS 2006
“Judging by the spirited production of Kurt Weill's opera Street Scene, presented last week by the UCSC music department, Santa Cruz has another locus of arts energy and inspiration in the university’s growing opera program.”
METRO SANTA CRUZ 2004
“Staufenbiel’s Tony [West Side Story] immediately charms the crowd. He has a powerful, captivating voice and a charismatic presence onstage. Stand out performances include those of the actors who play Maria and Tony (Puentes and Staufenbiel).”
SANTA CRUZ GOOD TIMES 2003
“. . .Tenor Brian Staufenbiel, sent chills up the spine.”
SAN MATEO COUNTY TIMES 2003 ( Mozart's "Requiem)
“Tenor Brian Staufenbiel was a show-stopper in his single solo as the condemned swan in “Cignus ustus cantat.” He mimed his way from freedom, flying above the lake, to his cruel fate as a roasted dinner. Even though sung in the original Latin, Staufenbiel’s falsetto perfectly conveyed the poor bird’s lament (“Misery me! Now black and roasting fiercely”).”
SACRAMENTO GAZETTE 2003
“Tenor soloist Brian Staufenbiel used his clear and supple voice to good effect, delivering cleanly articulated recitatives. His aria The Enemy Said, ‘I Will Pursue’ was neatly and stylishly done.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2002
“With a pleasing tenor and charming manner, Brian Staufenbiel played Valere, the eager fop who loves Marianne.”
LOS ALTOS TOWN CRIER 2001
“ . . . the narrative of the Evangelist, powerfully sung in this performance by tenor Brian Staufenbiel. (He) succeeded admirably in furthering the action with his dramatic sense of pacing and dynamics-- a very model of recitative singing.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2001
“Tenor Brian Staufenbiel sang with style and conviction, a fine Bach tenor.”
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE 2000
“Tenor, Brian Staufenbiel got to show off his fabulous falsetto in 'Cignus ustus cantat' (the roasted swan) -- an unforgettable episode. The episode was gruesome and glorious.”
SACRAMENTO BEE 1999
“Staufenbiel's true pitch and easy natural delivery concealed the inherent difficulty of the music's embellishments and harmonic nuances.”
SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL 1999
“. . . Staufenbiel possesses the perfect light tenor for the composer's constant coloratura, and takes full advantage of Lindoro's ‘Languir per una bella.’ ”
PALO ALTO WEEKLY 1998
“Staufenbiel displays luminously exquisite placement, beautiful phrasing, and effortless support.”
REDWOOD CITY TRIBUNE 1998
“The outstanding Evangelist, Brian Staufenbiel, was not only sweet-toned but a dramatic and involved narrator.”
CITY (Rochester, NY) 1997
“Tenor, Brian Staufenbiel was the most appreciated soloist for his vocal quality, his expression, and his style.” (Messiah)
LA PRESSE (Montréal) 1997
“Outstanding performance by Staufenbiel . . . ”
OPERA NEWS 1996